The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-11

the duty of the legislature to submit sue
| proposed amendment or amendme cts to the
people, in such manner and at such time as
| the legislature shall prescribe, AID il the
people shall approve and ratify such amend
| ment or amendments, by majority OF the
| qualified electors voting thereon, sucf
| amendment or amendments shall become g
| part OF the constitution PrOutded, ina
| Section y of Article XIV shall not be
amended, revised, or in any way change d
| until any amendment, revision, or change
| aS proposed therein shall, in addition to the
| requirements of the provisions OF this
article, be reported to the Congress OF the
| United States and shall be by Congress- APP
proved and ratified, and such approval and
| ratification be proclaimed by the President
| of the United States, and If not so ratified
| and prOclaime said section shall remain
perp sCual. j"
Many of the Gentiles in Utah claim
that this anti-polygamy movement
among the Mormons is "all o sham. .
But we do not think so. After careful
and impartial investigation and consid-
Grafton. our conclusion is, that, what
ever may be their motives, and whether
they are influenced by choice or neces-
Sity, the generality of the homogeneous
Mormons (Who are more than three
! tourths of the Mormon population
have deliberately and wisely resolved
that their highest earthly interests, the
prosperity and happiness of themselves
and their posterity, and the avoidance
of the cd UNI which attaches to them
throughout the civilized world, demand
| that polygamy shall be abolished.
The Mormons have been led to believe
that if the practice of polygamy shall
| actually and in good faith be abolished,
Congress will no further pursue them
| with hostile legislation, and that their
religious faith will not be the subject Of
legal animadversion or discrimination.
If the premises are granted, (namely
the bona tide abrogation of polygamy)
their conclusion is impregnable upon
well settled principles and precedents.
The Supreme Court of the United
States has declared that Laws are
made for the government of actions,
and while they cannot interfere with
mere religious belief, they may with
practices Congress cannot pass
law for the government of the terri
tories which shall prohibit the free
exercise of religion. The first amend
ment to the constitution expressly for
bids such legislation. Religious freedom
is guaranteed everywhere throughout
the United States SC far as Congress
I45
Madison says sententiously: "Reli-
gion, or the duty we owe to the Creator,
is not within the province OF civil gov
eminent"
Jefferson says: Believing that re
ligion is a matter which lies solely
between man and his God; and that he
owes account to none other for his faith
or his worship; that the legislative
powers of the government reach actions
only and not opinions, L contemplate with
solemn reverence that act of the whole
American people which declares that
their legislature should make no law
respectiI e an establishment of religion.
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof
g Jefferson's Work 113.
Upon the passage of the Act OF March,
3, 1887, similar views were expressed by
distinguished senators from Vermont
and Kansas.
Acting upon these fundamental can
ems, and in accordance with the acts OF
Congress, the commission has from
time to time, in official reports and
otherwise, assured the Mormon people
that the government of the United
States had no design to coerCe them
concerning their church membership
or their religious opinions and that all
that was required, and all that could
rightfully be required, was, that they
should come within the laws and
abandon the practice Of polygamy. For
example, in the commissions first an
nuaI report, of November II, 1882, it
said: the legislation of Congress as we
understand it is not enacted against the
religion Of any portion of the people of
this territory. The law under which
we are acting is directed against the
c, ime of pOlygGnog."
In its report of October 80, 1888, it
said that "by sustaining from the spo-
lygamic relation, they the Mormons
will enjoy all the political rights OF
American citizens"
In its last annual report (Sep. "a,
1850 the following language was EN-
ployed: 1--WE recognize the obligation of
the government of the United States to
protect the personal and property
rights of the Mormon people and to deal
with them as equals before the law, yet
it is equally the duty of the government
to punish crime"
In its circular for the information of
registration officers, " issued in March,
1887, after enumerating all the disquai
tications of voters under the law, it
added: that no opinions which they
(the Mormons) may entertain upon
questions of religion or church polity
should be the subject of inquiry or ex-
clusion from the polls" and the Ed
nunds act of 1882 declares that no per
son shall be excluded from the polls on
account of any opinion he may enter
tain on the subject of polygamy or
bigamy if he is otherwise eligible to
vote.
Having received information that
some of the registration officers were
disregarding the principle thus settled
and repeatedly announced, they were
promptly removed from office by the
unanimous vote of all the members of
the commission.
After such assurances have been held
out to the Mormon people by the Su-
preme Court of the United States, by
those eminent statesmen who cham
pioned the anti-polygamy legislation in
Congress, and by the commission,
representing no party or faction, but
the government of the United States !;
now, while the great mass of the Nor
mon people are making an effort for the
abandonment of the practice of polyg-
amy, We are asked to recommend
further legislation OF hostile and
aggressive character, almost if not en-
ti-aiv dastrurtiVa Of local self .pnvarn-